Shoe display bag and system

ABSTRACT

A shoe display bag which includes a flexible sheet having a top end, a bottom end, a rear section, and spaced side members; a plurality of flexible support members connected to the opposite spaced side members of the flexible sheet in a spaced relationship to form a plurality of pockets between the top and bottom ends of the sheet each sized to receive at least one shoe; and attaching means connected proximate the top end of the sheet to hang it in a substantially vertical support position. The bag can be used to market an inventory of shoes of various sizes and types by displaying each type of shoe in the inventory of each predetermined size in a separate vertically supported display bag.

United States Patent Woods 51 June 13, 1972 [541 SHOE DISPLAY BAG AND SYSTEM [72] Inventor: Warren L. Woods, Salt Lake City, Utah [73] Assignee: Wllwood Inc.

[22] Filed: Nov. 6, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 87,468

Byme Weaver ..211/38 X 2,299,021 10/1942 Hoffman ..21 1/34 Primary Examiner-Nile C. Byers, Jr. Attorney-C. Harvey Gold, David V. Trask and William S. Britt 1 1 ABSTRACT A shoe display bag which includes a flexible sheet having a top end, a bottom end, a rear section, and spaced side members; a plurality of flexible support members connected to the opposite spaced side members of the flexible sheet in a spaced relationship to form a plurality of pockets between the top and bottom ends of the sheet each sized to receive at least one shoe; and attaching means connected proximate the top end of the sheet to hang it in a substantially vertical support posi' tion. The bag can be used to market an inventory of shoes of various sizes and types by displaying each type of shoe in the inventory of each predetermined size in a separate vertically supported display bag.

Patented June 13, 1972 1 NVENTOR.

Warren L. Woods BY His Attorney BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It has been common practice to market shoes by demonstrating them to potential customers one or two pairs at a time. This sales approach, of course, requires at least one sales clerk for each customer if several customers are to be waited on at the same time. Each sale often takes substantial time since the sales clerk generally must make several trips to the storage area for new shoes and to replace already demonstrated ones if the customer is to be shown even a portion of the shoes available in his size. Attempts have been made to overcome this individualized sales approach by displaying all of the shoes in stock on specially built racks arranged about the sales area. However, by necessity such racks are bulky in that they must contain substantially all of the inventory available and, in addition, they are generally unsightly in appearance. It is accordingly, the primary objective of this invention to provide a shoe display system wherein all of the shoe inventory can be effectively and compactly displayed in an artistic fashion. It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved shoe storage bag.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In its broadest form the invention relates to a shoe bag which includes a flexible sheet having a top end, a bottom end, a rear section and spaced side membersya plurality of flexible support members connected to the opposite spaced side members of the flexible sheet in a spaced relationship to form a plurality of pockets between the top and bottom ends of the sheet each sized to receive at least one shoe; and attaching means connected proximate the top end of the sheet to hang said sheet in a substantially vertical position.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method for marketing an inventory of shoes of various types and sizes by displaying each type of shoes in the inventory of each predetermined size in at least one vertically hanging display bag.

In another embodiment of the invention the flexible support members of the shoe bag are afiixed to the side members and rear section of the flexible sheet to form a substantially enclosed shoe pocket open at the front to receive a shoe endwise into each said pocket.

In another embodiment of the invention the support membets are secured between the side members and rear section of the sheet material.

In yet another embodiment of the invention at least one elongated flexible strip extending between the top and bottom ends of the sheet material is connected to each side member of said sheet material and to each support member secured to the sheet material for reinforcing the connection of each said support member to said sheet material.

In still yet another embodiment of the invention the attaching means for securing the display bag in a vertically hanging position comprises a flexible sleeve extending from a position proximate the rear section of the sheet material to the open front end of the display bag said sleeve being sized to receive a support rod which is attached to an overhead support structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS So that the invention may be more readily described and understood reference is made to the accompanying drawings which are offered by way of example only and are not to be taken as limiting the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims which are intended to embrace equivalent structures.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a display bag of this invention vertically hanging from an overhead support structure.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the display bag.

FIG. 3 is a top view of an overhead support structure and a plurality of display bags supported in a vertically hanging position from the support structure.

FIG. 4 is a side view of one type of overhead support suitable for use in the display system of this invention.

FIG. Sis a sectional view of FIG. 1 taken in the plane of line 5-5 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of the preferred attaching relationship between the side and rear members of the display bag and the shoe support members positioned within the bag.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a modified bag support.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The shoe display bag 10 of the invention is best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The bag is constructed with a flexible sheet material folded in a U-shaped configuration to have opposite spaced side members 16 and an interconnecting rear section 18 with a top end 12, and a bottom end 14. Flexible shoe support members 20 are attached to the opposite sides 16 of the flexible sheet and preferably to its rear section 18 to form a plurality of pockets each sized to receive at least one shoe 22. Support members 20 are attached to sides 16 along a substantially horizontal plane as the bag 10 is supported in a substantially vertical hanging position. Most preferably the supports 20 are spaced at intervals of 2 to 10 inches between top end 12 and bottom end 14 of the sheet material.

A top cover 24 preferably formed from a flexible material, is secured to the top edge 12 of the sheet material to enclose the top shoe compartment in the bag and an elongated sleeve 26, also preferably formed from a flexible material, sized to receive a support rod 28 for supporting; the bag 10 in a vertically hanging position is attached to the top cover 24. The top cover 24 and sleeve 26 can be formed with the sheet material as a unitary structure as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Preferably, the sheet material from which the bag 10 is constructed, support partitions 20, top cover 24, and sleeve 26 are all formed from a fabric material such as a lightweight canvas or the like. It is also within the scope of this invention to use other flexible materials such as materials formed from plastic or other resins.

Because of the substantial weight applied to bag 10 when shoes are placed in each of the bags shoe compartments, it is preferred to secure at least one and preferably two elongated flexible strips of support material 30 along each side 16 of the bag which extend between the bags top and bottom ends and which most preferably extend around the bags bottom pocket 32 to form a continuous strip running from the top end of the bag on one side to its top end on the other side. When more than one strip is used the strips are preferably positioned in a substantially parallel spaced relationship. When a fabric or plastic material is used in constructing bag 10 it is preferred to sew each spaced shoe support section 20 between overlapping segments of side material 16, rear section 18, and support straps 30 such as best shown in FIG. 6. When the support sections are attached in this fashion each shoe compartment is substantially sealed about its entire peripheral edge except for the open end of the bag. This is preferred since any opening between the support sections 20 and the bag's sidewalls or rear sections can catch the heel of a shoe and be torn if the shoe is forceably removed. It is to be noted that since bag 10 is preferably constructed in its entirety from materials which are flexible it can be rolled, folded or flattened out in any predetermined configuration for storage purposes.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the shoe display bags 10 are used for merchandising an inventory of shoes of various sizes and types. When the bags are used for this purpose a plurality of bags are vertically hung in a side by side spaced relationship in a fashion which allows them to be easily repositioned with respect to each other. One preferred support suitable for accomplishing this purpose is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. As shown, parallel spaced elevated beams 34 support side plates 36 fitted with a plurality of spaced notches 38 sized to receive one end of bag support rod 28. Accordingly, the bags can be removed by merely lifting one end of rod 28 out of side plate notch 38 in which it is resting and horizontally rotating the rod end thus removed until bag can be lowered between beams 34. When the display bag is to be used for household purposes a hanger 40 such as illustrated in FIG. 7 can be used. Hanger 40 includes an elongated cantilevered support rod 42 preferably covered with a coating 44 along its length having a relatively high coefficient of friction such as rubber to prevent rod 42 from easily slipping out of bag sleeve 26. Support 44 is connected at one end to rod 42 and is hooked at its other end to be supported on a hanger bar in a closet or the like.

The bag 10 of this invention can be used to market an inventory of shoes of various sizes and types by displaying each type of shoe in the inventory of each predetermined size in at least one vertically supported display bag. The predetermined size of shoes in each bag is clearly indicated and when a customer desires to purchase shoes he merely goes to the bag containing shoes of his size whereupon he can examine each shoe in the inventory that will fit his feet. When the customer finds a shoe he would like to purchase he advises a sales clerk who retrieves the selected shoes mate or a pair of shoes similar to the one selected by the customer from an inventory storage area.

I claim:

1. A shoe display bag which comprises a flexible sheet material folded in a U-shaped configuration having opposite spaced side members, a rear section interconnecting the side members, a top end, and a bottom end; a plurality of flexible support members connected to the opposite sidewall members of said sheet in a spaced relationship to form a plurality of pockets between the top and bottom ends of said sheet each pocket being open at one end and being sized to receive at least one shoe; and attaching means connected to the top end of said sheet for attaching said sheet to an elevated support and to hang said sheet from said support.

2. The shoe display bag of claim 1 wherein said support members are spaced apart from adjacently positioned support members 2 to 10 inches.

3. The shoe display bag of claim 1 wherein said support members are connected to the rear section of said sheet.

4. The shoe display bag of claim 3 wherein said flexible sheet and said flexible support members are formed from a fabric material.

5. The shoe display bag of claim 4 wherein said support members are sewed to said sheet material between folded layers of the side members and rear section of said sheet material.

6. The shoe display bag of claim 1 wherein at least one elongated flexible support strip is attached to each sidewall member of said sheet material between the opposite ends of said sheet material.

7. The shoe display bag of claim 6 wherein a plurality of elongated parallel spaced elongated flexible support strips are attached to each of said sidewall members of said sheet material between the opposite ends of said sheet material.

8. The shoe display bag of claim 6 wherein the elongated flexible support strips secured to opposite sidewall members of said sheet material are interconnected around the bottom end of said sheet material.

9. The shoe display bag of claim 1 wherein said attaching means comprises an elongated sleeve sized to receive an elongated support rod.

10. A shoe display system which comprises a shoe display bag constructed with a flexible sheet material folded to have opposite facing spaced side members, and a rear section interconnecting the side members, a plurality of flexible support members connected in a spaced relationship to the opposite sidewall members of the sheet material to form a plurality of pockets open at one end between the top and bottom ends of said sheet each pocket being sized to receive at least one shoe, and an elongated sleeve attached to said topend of said sheet material; an elongated support rod positioned within the display bag's elongated sleeve; and overhead support structure means for holding said support rod in a redetermined position above ground level to thereby su stantially vertically hang said display bag.

11. The display system of claim 10 wherein said overhead support structure comprises first and second beams spaced apart to coact with the opposite ends of said support rod which extend outwardly beyond the ends of said sleeve.

12. The display system of claim 11 wherein said support members are spaced apart from adjacently positioned support markers 2-10 inches.

13. The display system of claim 12 wherein said support members are sewed to said sheet material between folded layers of the side members and rear section of said sheet material.

14. The display system of claim 10 wherein a plurality of display bags are vertically hung from overhead support structure and each type of shoe in a predetermined inventory of shoes of a first predetermined size is displayed in the pockets of a first display bag and each type of shoe in said inventory of shoes of a second predetermined size is displayed in the pockets of a second display bag.

15. The display system of claim 14 wherein indicia means are attached to said first display bag and to said second display bag for indicating the size shoes displayed in each bag. 

1. A shoe display bag which comprises a flexible sheet material folded in a U-shaped configuration having opposite spaced side members, a rear section interconnecting the side members, a top end, and a bottom end; a plurality of flexible support members connected to the opposite sidewall members of said sheet in a spaced relationship to form a plurality of pockets between the top and bottom ends of said sheet each pocket being open at one end and being sized to receive at least one shoe; and attaching means connected to the top end of said sheet for attaching said sheet to an elevated support and to hang said sheet from said support.
 2. The shoe display bag of claim 1 wherein said support members are spaced apart from adjacently positioned support members 2 to 10 inches.
 3. The shoe display bag of claim 1 wherein said support members are connected to the rear section of said sheet.
 4. The shoe display bag of claim 3 wherein said flexible sheet and said flexible support members are formed from a fabric material.
 5. The shoe display bag of claim 4 wherein said support members are sewed to said sheet material between folded layers of the side members and rear section of said sheet material.
 6. The shoe display bag of claim 1 wherein at least one elongated flexible support strip is attached to each sidewalL member of said sheet material between the opposite ends of said sheet material.
 7. The shoe display bag of claim 6 wherein a plurality of elongated parallel spaced elongated flexible support strips are attached to each of said sidewall members of said sheet material between the opposite ends of said sheet material.
 8. The shoe display bag of claim 6 wherein the elongated flexible support strips secured to opposite sidewall members of said sheet material are interconnected around the bottom end of said sheet material.
 9. The shoe display bag of claim 1 wherein said attaching means comprises an elongated sleeve sized to receive an elongated support rod.
 10. A shoe display system which comprises a shoe display bag constructed with a flexible sheet material folded to have opposite facing spaced side members, and a rear section interconnecting the side members, a plurality of flexible support members connected in a spaced relationship to the opposite sidewall members of the sheet material to form a plurality of pockets open at one end between the top and bottom ends of said sheet each pocket being sized to receive at least one shoe, and an elongated sleeve attached to said top end of said sheet material; an elongated support rod positioned within the display bag''s elongated sleeve; and overhead support structure means for holding said support rod in a predetermined position above ground level to thereby substantially vertically hang said display bag.
 11. The display system of claim 10 wherein said overhead support structure comprises first and second beams spaced apart to coact with the opposite ends of said support rod which extend outwardly beyond the ends of said sleeve.
 12. The display system of claim 11 wherein said support members are spaced apart from adjacently positioned support markers 2-10 inches.
 13. The display system of claim 12 wherein said support members are sewed to said sheet material between folded layers of the side members and rear section of said sheet material.
 14. The display system of claim 10 wherein a plurality of display bags are vertically hung from overhead support structure and each type of shoe in a predetermined inventory of shoes of a first predetermined size is displayed in the pockets of a first display bag and each type of shoe in said inventory of shoes of a second predetermined size is displayed in the pockets of a second display bag.
 15. The display system of claim 14 wherein indicia means are attached to said first display bag and to said second display bag for indicating the size shoes displayed in each bag. 